NCRA 1230 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 400 Reston, Va. 20191-3484, May 01, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Members of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, are participating in Celebrate Certification Month during May. The 2019 celebration marks the second year NCRA has hosted this event.
During the month long event, members are encouraged share with customers, clients, and potential clients the importance of working with professionals who hold national certifications. The campaign is also designed to encourage NCRA members and nonmembers to earn a certification or to add to any they already hold. In addition to showing proficiency in various skills, numerous NCRA membership surveys have found that court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers who hold NCRA certifications make more money and are often in higher demand than their competitors.
“Professional certification reflects our commitment to our profession and to keeping our skills polished to ensure that we provide the highest quality of service and product to our clients. NCRA is proud to recognize May as Celebrate Certification Month,” said NCRA President Sue A. Terry, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter from Springfield, Ohio.
“Earning a professional certification is one of the greatest investments we can make in ourselves as we strive to be the very best we can be every day. I urge everyone to take the time throughout the month of May to celebrate their professional certifications and those of their peers, and to take this opportunity to encourage others who do not hold professional certifications to make the investment in their careers to obtain them,” she added.
NCRA offers the following nationally recognized professional certifications:
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR): RPR stenographic court reporters are considered to be among the top contributors to the profession in terms of technology, reporting skills, and professional practices. The RPR has been offered since 1937, and many states currently accept or use the certification testing in place of a state certification or licensing exams. RPRs have passed tests requiring them to write up to 225 words per minute with a 95 percent accuracy rate.
Registered Merit Reporter (RMR): RMRs must hold the RPR and have shown the ability to write at speeds of up to 260 words per minute with a 95 percent accuracy rate.
Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR): The RDR designates the highest level of certification available to court reporters and distinguishes high-level, seasoned reporters as members of the profession’s elite.
Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR): The CRR recognizes a realtime reporter’s knowledge of current technologies and a high proficiency of at least a 96 percent accuracy rate at speeds up to 200 words per minute. Realtime reporting instantly translates the spoken word to text, allowing for an immediate transcription of proceedings.
Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC): CRCs have passed a skills test, a written exam, and attended an educational workshop. The CRC tests for competence and provides quality education to those who are interested in entering the captioning field.
Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS): CLVSs hold a high level of skill and understanding of all aspects of video deposition recording, court proceedings, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and deposition best practices.
The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad.
Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases, depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that does not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at DiscoverSteno.org.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 14,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized captioning, court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership. Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to grow by 14 percent through the year 2020.